On the road again.

No. 16 Ohio State is off to New Jersey to start a two-game road trip this week against Rutgers and Michigan. The Buckeyes will take on the Scarlet Knights at Jersey Mike's Arena 7 p.m. Wednesday night.

Here's what you need to know.

No. 16 Ohio State (14-5, 7-3 Big Ten) at Rutgers (13-9, 7-5 Big Ten)

WHEN: 7 p.m.

WHERE: Jersey Mike's Arena, Picataway, New Jersey

TV: Big Ten Network

RADIO: Ohio State Radio Network from Learfield

SERIES: Ohio State leads 10-3

KenPom Prediction: Ohio State 71, Rutgers 67

SIGN UP FOR YOUR PREMIUM SUBSCRIPTION TODAY

Eugene Brown III comes in as game-time decision

Eugene Brown III really hasn’t been able to catch a break this season.

The sophomore guard had a concussion and other illnesses throughout the 2021-22 campaign before what Chris Holtmann describes as a minor toe injury kept him out of the Maryland game Sunday.

None were serious injuries, but it was enough, along with the multiple game cancellations and postponements, to force Brown out of his rhythm.

Against Purdue, Holtmann said, Brown was vital, playing the best basketball he had played in his time with the Buckeyes: scoring nine points, three rebounds and two assists in 20 minutes of play against the Boilermakers.

And it’s a role that Holtmann only anticipates growing.

“I’m excited about his continued growth and the evolution of his game,” Holtmann said. “He’s a young player that continues to get better and will, with increased time, have a major role for us moving forward next year.”

To the head coach, Brown’s biggest challenge is becoming a player, defensively, Ohio State can rely on to use his length, size and ability to guard multiple positions. But Holtmann also wants him to take a step up offensively, continuing the success he had against Penn State, IUPUI and Purdue.

“You see this in college basketball: you really need guys with his kind of length and defensive versatility,” Holtmann said. “His ball skills have to continue to grow, his shooting has to continue to grow. But that’s kind of who he was when we recruited him too. That’s aspects of his game he has to continue to grow in, but, I think, he has a bright future.”

Facing a veteran Rutgers team

Rutgers has a group that’s been playing together for awhile.

With three seniors, a junior and a sophomore, the Scarlet Knights’ starting lineup has played a combined 476 games and combined for 337 starts, all for Rutgers.

But that experience hasn’t paid off much over the course of what has proved to be an up-and-down 2021-22 season.

Rutgers has won seven of its 12 Big Ten games this year, earning wins against then-No. 1 Purdue, Michigan and Michigan State all at home, while losing by 17 to Penn State, three to Minnesota and eight to Maryland.

It’s a team that uses its size to its advantage, averaging 4.3 blocks per game without a player smaller than 6-foot-4 guard Geo Baker in the starting lineup, but only averages 34.8 rebounds per conference game. It’s a team that’s struggled offensively too, averaging 67.2 points per game against Big Ten teams, while shooting 43.5% from the floor.

But Rutgers is a team that has really stepped up defensively, allowing 66.3 points against Big Ten opponents, third-worst in the conference, and a 42.2% shooting percentage. It also forces 13.1 turnovers per game.

Four of Rutgers’ five starters — Baker, Ron Harper, Paul Mulcahy and Caleb McConnell — each average more than one steal per game, including McConnell’s team-leading 2.1.

Playing at the RAC

All of Rutgers’ big wins this season have come at Jersey Mike’s Arena, an 8,000-seat arena affectionately known as the RAC: the Purdue win, the Michigan win, the Michigan State win.

The Scarlet Knights’ two losses in 13 home games have been by a combined 10 points.

On Jan. 9, 2019, Ohio State came into Piscataway in a much similar situation to Wednesday.

The Buckeyes came in as the No. 16 team in the country, having won 12 of their first 15 games of the 2018-19 season, against an unranked Rutgers team that included Harper, Baker and McConnell. The Scarlet Knights defense stifled Ohio State, shooting 39.7% with 12 turnovers and 18 fouls to lose by three.

The Jan. 9, 2019 loss was Ohio State’s only loss at the RAC in five meetings, including, most recently an 11-point upset win against the No. 15 Scarlet Knights.

This is going to be a tough one for Ohio State.

Despite a lackluster offense, Rutgers has the best defense Ohio State has faced since Penn State Jan. 16: the No. 52 in defensive efficiency according to KenPom

In eight games against the top 50 teams in defensive efficiency, Ohio State has averaged 68 points per game, shooting 44.4% from the field with 12.1 turnovers per game.

If Ohio State's offense can score more than 70 points and keep its turnover numbers at bay, something it has been able to do as of late, it should be Rutgers on the road. But it is going to be a close one.

No. 16 Ohio State 71, Rutgers 69